Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1887-04-22
The Beggars Of Mexico, Where we
Find Them. Who They are
and How They Man
Cry OF MEXICO. March, 'S7.
age.

We find them in every class,
from the lame, little, old, blind
hunch back at the church door to
the well dressed and dlgniied
dude who parades the streets and
pervades the hotel.
The afflicted beggars who have
some claim to the pity and re-
spect that is due the unfortunate
in every land, here include the de-
formed, the aged, the lame, the
blind and the leper. They are
found in every city and hamlet in
the country. At the r. r. station
they sing, pray and play the banjo
while the train stops. They walk
the streets, stand on the corners,
in the church door and mingle
among the congregation during
mass. They knock at your door
and pray before your window
every day in the week. They con-
front you at the post office and are
at your elbow in the hotel and
restaurant They are at the bap-
tismal fe st. the birthday dinner,
the marriage anniversary and all
the funerals of the wealthy. The
means used are about as numer-
GUS as can we'll be contrived, The
blind sing of the joys OF sight and
the days when they could see. All
pray to the Virgin and the patron
saint of the day or feast in which
they beg, and ask but little for
themselves but all for the honor Of
the Virgin, the love of God and
the glory of the saints. The men
seldom shave CT cut their hair and
clothed in fifty rags, they resemble
man in his most abandoned and
degraded condition.
Tho Lepers (or Leperoes) were
formerly colonized to themselves
and had the church Of San Lazero
devoted to their exclusive use. But
the church is now in ruins and its
congregation has been scattered
in all directions to seek living
where they find it. And we now
see them every day sitting OF lay
ing by the way side, like Lazarous
of old, with their repulsive sores
and eating ulcers exposed to the
public. The scene and sent shocks
the passerby; yet there they are
permitted to remain and will until
death gathers them in, for the
government will not. They crowd
the narrow side walks and as theil
touch is communicating all give the
way before them, hence they are
not known to leave the road fol
any one, but with hat off, they pray
and beg in the most whining anc
pitiful manner. They gather il
all the churches and mingle in al
the public gait erings, hence it is
not uncommon for respectable
people to go home from church
stocked with vermine or what il
worse be innoculated with the
germs of some foul disease. The
examples of each we have seen tc
often to admit of truthful contra
diction from any source. Chill
dren are taught to beg from the
time theyieave their mothers arms
SO when older they know wei
how to reach every class ant
touch sympathetic cord where
ever it exists. Boys and girls ap
pear in the plaza on Sunday will
only a filthy blanket around thu
body and by the plea of dying O
deceased relatives they ply thei
work until by health, strength ant
size they outgrow the calling; bu
if they are fortunate enough" t.
be in some way deformed, it is to,
often counted a good fortune, onl,
because it is life long passpor
to be,a beggar, whereby they cal
make their own living and that O
others who by nature and acquire
ment are too indolent to work.
The beggar woman will beg fo
years on the plea that her HUSBAND
or only son has just died and sh
wants money to bury him or pa,
for masses for the repose of th'
soul. So perfect is her deception
that she will cry and ring he.
hands with all the appearance
of a wife or mother who is bur
dened with broken heart t,
make her case clear she will carr,
a second hand burial permit O
death notice with date to suit
Again she will pass from door t,
door with her own or some othel
little dead babe in box under he
arm, and will thus show it in it
faded baby clothes as it sleeps i,
death among a bed of flowers
This is sure to move the hearts
of the average mother and so baby
death is looked to as being littl,
harvest for the beggar woman. S,
by the neglect of the government
the encouragement of the public
and the shrewd tact practiced by
the beggars themselves, this grea
army is kept up, and is now ant
for years has been one of the bes
developed institutions in the land